GHOST
by J7339
Summary: Lucas becomes involved in a mystery that spans back much further than any of the crew think.
1. Chapter 1

GHOST

By Jules

From the Author: A little idea that came to me while I was trying to put my other stories back together after my computer crash. Hopefully some of it will show a lighter side of some of the crew. The banter between Lucas and Tony is meant to be funny and will hopefully make you laugh a little, but it does get more serious in later parts of the story.

and now….. the story begins……………..

Out in the deep atlantic ocean, the deep sea vessel SeaQuest had just finished a very long tour and would begin heading back to Pearl Harbour.

At the moment, most of the crew were in their beds sleeping. The time was about

1.30am and onboard, everything was relatively peaceful.

In one particular small room, there were two beds, one on top of the other, in bunk style. On the bottom bunk was Tony Piccolo. Above him, the resident genius teenager, Lucas Wolenczak.

Lucas stirred, thinking that he could hear something moving about in the corridor.

The room felt a little colder, and he reached to pull the blanket closer around him.

His fingertips groped about in the darkness for a few moments before he was forced to open his eyes.

On any other given night, the tube running through their room would be dark this time of night. Darwin could usually found in the moon pool, so the lights in the tubes were switched off.

Lucas wasn't fully awake, but realised with curiosity that there was light in the tube and he could see the water.

What he wasn't fully prepared for was the sudden appearance of a man's face through the water…………….

For a mere moment his voice seemed to be lost to him, but not for long as he let out a startling scream and sat up in bed.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh"

Tony in the bed below had been sound asleep but woken so abruptly by the sheer panic of the teenager's scream that he sat up immediately, forgetting that he was sitting on the bottom bunk and got up too quickly.

A resounding clunk could be heard as a result followed by a whole range of explicit words and curses.

"Luke are you alright buddy?" came the question, as rubbed at the place where he had struck his head.

By now, other rushed footsteps could be heard and then a frantic knocking on the hull door to the room, and it being thrown open.

Lucas was still sitting on the bed, staring into the tube where he had seen the face.

He hadn't heard the people come into the room, nor Tony swearing about his head.

"What is going on?" a half dressed Nathan Bridger demanded to know. The question was directed at Tony because he was the first one he saw. The Captain now turned his attention to the teenager, thinking it odd that he had not answered.

"I don't know myself. I was sound asleep when Lucas there started screaming like a banshee," Tony explained, wincing at the headache that he was starting to have.

Kristen Westphalen had also joined Commander Ford as one of the people to run at the sound of yelling coming from the room. She knelt down and tried to pry Tony's hands away from his forehead long enough to look at the injury.

"Lucas?" Bridger said, trying to gain the teenager's attention, but noting the frightened look on the boy's face. "Are you all right. Are you hurt too?" he asked, noticing Kristen's administrations to Piccolo.

Kristen stood up and took an active interest in Lucas's pale features and lack of response to the questions. Bridger got up onto the bunk with the teenager, and found him shivering.

"He is cold," Bridger said giving a diagnosis, but that wasn't all that was wrong with Lucas. Kristen had handed up a blanket and the Captain wrapped it around the slim shoulders.

It was now that Lucas was brought back to the present as he turned and faced the audience in his room. He appeared a little surprised and confused and why there were so many people in the room. The warmth from the blanket was welcomed and he pulled it more tightly about himself.

"He might be going into some sort of shock," Kristen diagnosed. "Tony needs some ice for his head. Try and coax him down from there and I can take a better look at him in Med Bay.

Lucas looked at Bridger and whispered very softly, "There was a………face……… in the water."

The Captain had to lean in closer to hear what was being said. No further description or details were offered. Perhaps the boy had been dreaming, but looking at his face right now, you would be couldn't be blamed for thinking differently.

"He thinks he saw someone in the tube," Bridger commented.

"Did you see anything Piccolo," Ford now quizzed Tony as he stood to follow thedoctor's orders.

"The only thing I saw was stars after I connected with the bottom of his bunk," Tony answered truthfully. But upon thinking about what had been said he added, "You don't think there is somebody aboard do you?"

Bridger paused for a moment, thinking of the ramifications if it were true. They had people sneak aboard before unannounced and it had gone badly for the crew in the past.

"Commander, start a small search. All areas, but make it discreet until we know for sure something is on the boat. Make sure that you check the water too," Bridger ordered, not willing to take a chance with the lives of his crew at stake.

"Aye, Sir," Ford responded, but he wasn't convinced that the Captain had explained what they were looking for enough, "But can you tell us what we are looking for?"

Bridger turned back to Lucas, who still appeared to be out of it.

"A face, I guess," Bridger replied, not bothering to ask Lucas further until Kristenhad checked him out.

Ford left the room, and Tony stood up, moaning over dramatically at the pain in his head, but following Kristen towards the door. Hopefully the ice pack would help.

"Lucas?" Bridger stated, starting to climb down the ladder of the bed, expecting the teenager to follow. The boy looked back at him blankly, but seemed to understand what was required.

"The lights are on but nobody's home," Tony murmured to Kristen.

"Tony!" Kristen attempted to scold him, but not being able to come to the sameconclusion as Lucas started to come down from the bed.

When Lucas's feet hit the floor, they thought he must have been ready to pass out because his knees started to buckle. Bridger had made an awkward attempt to stop him from falling, but all of them were shocked when the real Lucas seemed to reappear from nowhere.

"Captain!" Lucas said as he stood upright, a little confused about what everybody was doing in his room. "It is 2.00am?" he stated, meaning it to be a question rather than just stating a fact.

"Lucas?" Bridger asked, not really sure whether the kid had just woken up from his dream or not.

"Yes, that is my name," he answered, giving the Captain a _'you are being totally weird' _look.

"We were hoping you could tell us what was going on?" Bridger asked. "You woke up screaming."

"No I didn't," Lucas said indignantly.

"You did so," Tony blurted out, "I banged my head on the bed."

"You banged your head?" Lucas repeated back. "Maybe you were falling out of bed instead."

"Falling out of………..," Tony said, totally baffled by the change back to the Lucas they recognized. "I'll give you……." he started to say.

"Wait a minute, I don't think any of us here are sure what has happened here tonight," the Captain stated.

"I don't know either. I wake up to you three dragging me out of bed for no reasonat 2.00 am and Tony blaming me for his head."

"A few minutes ago, you said you saw a face in Darwin's tube," Kristen prompted, hoping it might help the teenager remember what he had seen.

"How can I see anybody's face in the tube. It is always dark at night. The lights are turned out?" Lucas replied. When the other three in the room looked back above Lucas's bunk, they saw exactly that. The tube was totally dark, just as it should be.

They looked back at Lucas who was beginning to think they were all pulling somesort ofprank on him, getting him back. Tony was certainly capable of something like this.

"Let's go back to Med Bay and get some ice on Tony's head, and then we can talkabout this further," Kristen said, her tone of voice emphasising that she was not about to argue the point with anybody this time in the morning.

Kristen exited the room, followed by Lucas who still thought he was being the victim of an elaborate joke. Bridger and Tony looked at each other as they left together, both of them thinking that the change in the teenager's demeanour in the space of a few minutes was just too strange not to notice.

Tony consented to sitting on one of the gurney's while Kristen poked around in a cupboard to find what she needed. The corridors were still darkened, making the lights of Med Bay stand out.

Lucas stood by the gurney casually, wincing a little as he saw the bruise already forming on Tony's forehead, but not understanding why they had all thought he had been screaming. He had been sleeping peacefully, and had not heard anything out of the ordinary.

He began looking at the different medical equipment in the room, waiting for Kristen to come back. The room temperature seemed to be dropping and he pulled at the blanket that was still draped around his shoulders.

All sounds seem to disappear from the room, as though it were an old silent film. He could see Bridger saying something to Kristen and pointing at him, but couldn't hear any of the words being spoken.

Maybe there was something wrong with his hearing? The whole feeling within the room was strange. And the corridor outside was now more visible, though he could not see any lights on to account for this.

Bridger had remained with the teenager, just watching him in general and trying to figure out why he had appeared so disorientated a few minutes ago.

Kristen came back, "Here you are, Tony. This should help ease the swelling. It didn't Break the skin thankfully, but you might have a bit of a headache for the rest of tonight."

"Luckily you have a hard head, huh," Bridger said jokingly, Tony not bothered by the comment. They were all waiting for Lucas to add some more teasing of his own, but could see when they looked up at him that something had changed again.

He was looking back at them, but his face was pale again and he appeared to be trying to hear what they were saying.

"What is wrong, Lucas?" Bridger asked gently, moving closer to the teenager. To his dismay and concern, the boy took a few footsteps backwards.

It was then he noticed that Lucas's gaze was not fixated on him, but behind him.

Tony looked at the young man and attempted to see where he was focusing.

For all three of them, it was the doorway to the Med Bay. The boy appeared to be expecting something to come into view.

Lucas watched the corridor, his voice escaping him entirely and his mouth becoming very dry from the fear he was feeling. He couldn't help it. It was almost a sense of dread, or foreboding.

He then heard a sound. A brief relief on his part that there was nothing wrong with his hearing, but a knot began to form in the pit of his stomach.

The first heavy footstep came. Then a second. They didn't sound like normal UEO issue boots like the Captain or Commander Ford would wear. They made a more deeper toned sound.

Lucas could feel the fear within him growing and his chest was beginning to tighten, his breath coming in shorter breaths. The hair on the back of his neck began to stand up. He deliberately took two steps backwards.

The footsteps stopped for a moment, and Lucas thought that he had been merely scaring himself for no reason. Then he felt his mouth drop open at the appearance of a large black man in the doorway.

No sound came from Lucas's mouth, the scream in his throat frozen by the fear. What made this man stand out more than usual is that Lucas found himself able to see through the man enough to make out the door.

The man was no living person. A ghost.

Bridger was becoming alarmed at the boy's strange behaviour. He didn't appear to respond to anybody in the room again. Tony had called his name several times, with no effect.

The teenager's gaze never wavered from the one spot, but his breathing became more shallower. The boy's blue eyes opened wide and his lips trying to mouth another scream.

There was nothing near the doorway that the others could see that would frighten him. Without warning, the boy's legs betrayed him and Lucas pitched forward.

"Whoa," Bridger said as he barely caught the limp form.

"Lay him up on that bed there," Kristen instructed, a little worried by what was troubling the usually energetic young man.

"What is the matter with him?" Tony asked. If he had known the boy was sick, he would have told the Captain or the doctor, but the kid didn't say anything before they had gone to bed a few hours ago.

Kristen noted the chill in the boy's skin once more, just like it had been in his room. "Fainted," she answered, pulling out another blanket from a cupboard and covering the unconscious youth.

"Fainted? From what?" Nathan asked, genuinely worried that Lucas might have been coming down sick with something.

"I don't know," Kristen answered truthfully. "He shows no signs of fever. Nothing else that I can pinpoint immediately."

"But you saw the look on his face right?" Bridger prodded. "He was scared of something?"

"Maybe he did see something in the tubes?" Tony surmised, forgetting about his headache for a moment.

"Maybe we have all been working too hard and just need a good rest," Kristen interjected, not wanting to jump to any wild conclusions about what Lucas might have thought he saw.

"Captain," came a voice from the Med Bay doorway. Commander Ford entering, and approaching. He was about to deliver his report when he noticed the prone Lucas lying on one of the beds.

"Is Lucas all right?"

"We don't know, Commander. He was standing here a few moments ago and then seemed to be out of it again like he was earlier. Before any of us could blink, he collapsed. Kristen thinks he has just fainted."

"Did you have anything to report?" Kristen asked as she placed a pillow under Lucas's head and made him more comfortable.

"No not really. I was just coming to say that we looked everywhere, but the systems are not showing any signs of unauthorised persons aboard," Ford explained. "How is your head Piccolo?"

"Throbbing nicely," Tony shot back in a friendly tone of voice.

A moan from the bed signalled to all that Lucas was regaining consciousness. Bridger waited until the teenager woke on his own, allowing him to get his bearings before bombarding him with questions about what had happened.

Lucas grimaced and then attempted to sit up, but stopped when dizziness assailed him. He opened his eyes briefly looking towards the foot of the bed where Commander Ford and Tony were standing.

It was then that what he had witnessed came flooding back to him with such force. Like a blow to the stomach, the breath in his stomach exhaled all at once. He remembered the man and the face that he had seen standing in the doorway.

He turned quickly, trying to look towards the doorway to see if the ghost was still present. His posture slumped a little in Bridger's restraining grasp when there was nothing there.

"What did you see?" Bridger asked, knowing that Lucas believed he seen something that frightened him, and the most logical explanation for the boy suddenly fainting as he had.

"A black man," the boy offered, his voice sounding detached from the present.

Tony couldn't help but laugh out loud as he looked at Commander Ford standing beside him. He knew that Lucas would not have meant it as a derogatory comment, but the description and Ford being there was just too much of a coincidence.

"Are you quite finished," Ford remarked, thinking that Tony was acting like the usual misfit they had come to know him as.

"Oh come on, Lucas keels over and a few minutes later, you walk through the door and he tells Bridger that what scared him was a black man. What are the odds of that?"

"It wasn't Commander Ford," Lucas stated simply. He was looking about the room, expecting something else to jump out of the shadows at him.

Ford let Tony's joke at his expense slide, but it was the statement from Lucas that made them all stop and think for a moment. There were no other black crew members aboard the SeaQuest at this time, and no doubt Lucas would have recognized Ford coming into the room.

"Let's all go to bed, it is very late and get some sleep. I think we are all over tired," Kristen suggested, giving a worried look at Lucas. The teenager still looked about the room, his eyes tired.

"We will just have to wait and see how things turn out," Kristen said quietly to Bridger. There was no real point to keeping Lucas or Tony from returning to their room.

Bridger acknowledged what she said with a nod, watching Lucas as he stood up, preparing to leave Med Bay. He waited for any residual signs of dizziness, and although there were none, he did seem very apprehensive about exiting the doorway.

Tony was trying to think of a funny line that might bring the teenager out of his silent mood, but nothing cam to mind, so he just followed behind, his hands in his pockets.

Piccolo turned in the direction where the room was that he shared with Lucas, but the teenager failed to follow. Bridger raised a questioning eyebrow at Tony, but noticed that the boy was now headed in the direction of his cabin. He shrugged his shoulders, perhaps it was best, especially if Lucas felt more secure.

Tony wasn't totally surprised, but a little worried about his friend. Normally Lucas could be depended on to be one of the most level headed people he knew, but something had happened tonight to change all of that.

Bridger went into his quarters, wondering how the next few hours would go. He was prepared to stay up and talk if that is what Lucas wanted. But it looked as thought he didn't need to do that, as Lucas was grabbing a spare pillow and blanket out of a closet and getting ready to sack out on the couch.

"You can take my bed if you think it will help you sleep better," Bridger offered.

"No thanks, I don't want to do that," the teenager responded. This was the first few words he had strung together in a sentence since telling Commander Ford that it wasn't him that had scared him.

Lucas stopped in the middle of what he was doing, "You don't think I going crazy do you?"

At the moment, it seemed like the only rational explanation. He was the only one saying that he was seeing things that were not really there. There had been three other people in the room. Why hadn't they felt the temperature of the room change or hear the footsteps approaching?

"No, I don't think you are going crazy," Bridger responded, trying to be light-hearted about it to quell any doubts the boy had about his own sanity.

"Good, neither do I," Lucas laughed, but it sounded fake. He laid down on the couch and covered himself with the blanket, signalling that he was finished talking for now and wanting to try to sleep to shut out what he had seen.

Bridger got ready to return to bed as well, hoping that a few hours sleep would put a new perspective on things and return everything back to normal.

For the first half and hour or so, Lucas had feigned sleep, waiting for the Captain to drift off. Now, he laid awake, turning over and laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. Despite his best efforts, sleep was eluding him all together, and he kept trying to work out exactly what it was he had seen. Or who.

Some hours later, Bridger woke up, a little later than normal, but considering the interruptions they had had, the extra sleep had been welcomed. He was surprised to see that the blanket and pillows on the couch were neatly folded and placed at one end. Lucas must have risen before him and made a start to his day.

Kristen walked into the mess hall about the same time as Nathan, both of them greeting each other and asking if they had managed to get some further sleep.

"Lucas was gone when I awoke this morning, but I slept fairly well," Bridget admitted.

Piccolo could be seen at the serving counter, getting his breakfast and looking all right. The bruise on his forehead did stand out in contrast to the rest of his face, but he didn't seem to be having any pain that the doctor could notice from this distance.

Lucas approached the mess hall from behind the Captain and the doctor, heading immediately for the coffee. His face looked drawn and tired, and his eyes dull and listless. Obviously he had not slept at all.

"I thought you said he went back to bed this morning?" Kristen quizzed Nathan, upon seeing Lucas.

"Maybe he was still restless," Bridger suggested his concern for the boy's health resurfacing. The idea that the boy was getting sick renewing itself.

"I don't think he went back to sleep at all," Kristen pointed out. "He looks tired."

Several other crew members were also having their own breakfast, some seated together at one table. Lucas carried a tray that held a glass of juice and a fresh pot of coffee, but nothing to eat. He looked about, judging the best place to sit.

The teenager started to walk to one that was unoccupied, and separated from the others, when someone spoke to him.

"Hey Lucas, seen any more of Casper this morning?" came the jibe.

Lucas's tired features quickly turned into one of accusation as he turned around and faced Tony. "Did you have to tell the whole boat, or did you just want to announce it out loud to the whole world!"

The young man was not impressed, and loudly clunked his tray down on the nearest table, walking out of the mess hall

Tony watched the angry teenager leave, and then spotted Bridger and Kristen coming in. "I didn't tell them much at all," he said in his own defence. "A few others heard Lucas last night and wanted to know if there was anything wrong."

"Did you have to tell them that he thought he saw a ghost?" Bridger asked, knowing that it was going to take some fixing on Piccolo's part to apologize.

Lucas was a very private person and being made a mockery of did not sit well with him. Not because he was too proud or any such thing, but because it brought back too many unfavourable memories about the put downs and the humiliation that he experienced during his child hood from his real father.

"I don't think you are entirely to blame," Kristen waded into the conversation. "He didn't go back to sleep last night.

The other crew members felt just as guilty as Tony, that they had made fun of Lucas like they had. None of them knew that Lucas hadn't been sleeping well, and they didn't know that the teenager was still trying to forget last night.

"I will make it right, Captain," Tony promised.

"I know you will," Bridger agreed, knowing that Tony cared for the teenager. "You might want to give him time to himself today though. Think things out for himself."

For what remained of the morning, Lucas did just that. Keeping to himself, and going about a few routine tasks with little or no conversation unless he had to. He didn't look to still be angry at anyone, but he didn't stop and start up a conversation with anyone, including the Captain.

After lunch, Lucas had shut himself away in his room, focusing on some program he was working out on his computer. He didn't try and regain any of the sleep he had lost the previous night, but worked at a steady pace to keep his mind sharp and alert.

O'Neill suggested to smooth things over about any unkind words, they have a movie night where everyone could enjoy each other's company in a relaxed atmosphere. The tour was over and it was time to start to wind down before they reached port and took a much deserved break.

There was a general agreement of this being a good idea, not just for Lucas, but for the relaxation and stress relief that it might bring. The different tasks of who was getting the food and drinks, and the movie selection was delegated out amongst a small group.

Commander Ford had declined the invitation, preferring to use his spare time to work out in the gym.

Tony nominated himself to invite Lucas, hoping it would make up for the scene in the mess hall that morning. Bridger and Kristen planned to be in the same room, but not watching the movies. Neither of them thought the younger crowd would enjoy their more mature tastes. The two of them intended to play cards quietly in another corner of the room.

"Knock knock," Tony said as he entered the room. Lucas was still punching away on his keyboard at a frantic pace, a pencil clenched between his teeth whilst his eyes were fixed on a second monitor to his right.

At first Tony thought he might have been getting the silent treatment, but realised that it was more likely to be Lucas's normal concentration on his work. Close out the rest of the world about him to everything except what he was doing.

"I am sorry about this morning," Piccolo stammered, feeling a little stupid.

Lucas had heard him enter, and now turned to face him, removing the pencil from his mouth. "Don't worry about it. Sorry that I acted like a jerk."

Tony looked a little surprised. He was the one that was supposed to be apologising. "You didn't do anything wrong," he replied. It was about now that he could see the dark shadows under the teenager's blue eyes and noted how tired the kid did look.

"Some of the guys are watching some movies tonight in the games room. Want in?" he asked simply.

For a moment, Tony was convinced that he would get a negative answer, but was pleased to hear, "Sure, when."

"No schedule, just when you want to turn up. First movie goes on after dinner."

"Okay, that gives me a little time to finish up here, thanks."

"See you there," Tony said as he left, pleased that there was no longer any tension between them.

True to his word, at ten minutes after seven, Lucas wandered casually into the recreation room on the SeaQuest. He greeted the Captain and Kristen who had just sat down to their first hand of cards.

"Hey, Luke, saved you a seat here up front, buddy," Tony shouted from across the room.

Lucas accepted the seating arrangement, saying a quick hello to Miguel and Tim who were also joining in the entertainment.

Lucas drew a hand through his hair, trying to hide the tiredness he was feeling. It was part of the reason he had come after all. His concentration wavering from the lack of sleep. He didn't know if he would be able to sleep through a whole movie.

"Piccolo, would you stop eating all the popcorn before the movie even start," O'Neill commented. Sitting on Tony's leg was a large bowl filled to the top with buttered popcorn. It was meant to be sitting in the middle of the low coffee table.

"If you want any, Tim, you are going to have to be nice to me," Tony told him, the current atmosphere calm and friendly.

"What are we going to watch?" Miguel asked, wanting the show the start. "And save some of that popcorn for me too Tony."

Lucas appeared to be enjoying the joking around, but he didn't actively join in. He accepted an offer of a glass of soda, but shook his head at Tony holding up the bowl of popcorn.

The opening credits of the movie began, Tim, Miguel and Piccolo ceasing their chatter and beginning to take notice of what was on the TV screen. It was a cowboy film. A genre that O'Neill was particularly fond of. Miguel argued to see a martial arts movie, and Tony had opted for a horror movie, until they thought about Lucas being present.

"He seems content enough," Kristen voiced to Bridger halfway through one of their hands of cards. Much to her dismay she lost that round and was going to have to get a good deal next time if she was to survive the game.

About halfway through the film, Tony had glanced towards the end of the couch, only to see that Lucas was asleep. His arm being used as a crude pillow.

Bridger rose from their cards and smiled down at the sight of the teenager finally catching up on the sleep he had missed last night.

"You want to move him to a bed so he can stretch out better?" Piccolo enquired, thinking the kid would wake up with a kink in his neck.

The sound of voices caused Lucas to move and mutter something. Bridger didn't want to wake him unnecessarily. If his slumber was disturbed now, there was no guarantee that he would fall back to sleep easily once in a bed.

"Just leave him for now," Bridger whispered, heading back to the table of cards.

They could still see him and the quietness of the room at present seemed to help.

Tony and the two others resumed watching their film, all unprepared for what would happen next.

Lucas opened his eyes and realised that he had fallen asleep. His body was tired and he didn't particularly feel like moving, but it was something else that caught his attention. He didn't recognize the movie on the screen, and wasn't able to follow the plot.

At first he thought there must have been something wrong with the TV set because he couldn't hear the movie that was playing. But then all of a sudden, he froze as he began to hear the same booted footsteps he had heard the night before.

Tony had been following the movie, waiting to see who was going to draw their gun first between the two cowboys. The next thing he knew, Lucas had woken up in a fright and leapt over the back of the couch they were sitting on. His foot had connected with the bowl of popcorn and overturned, spilling all over Piccolo and the floor.

A single piece of popcorn now sat precariously on Tony's head. Miguel and Tim had burst out laughing at the sight.

Bridger had rushed over to the teenager, noting once again the pale features and the slight shivering that had occurred yesterday.

"I heard them again," Lucas said, his voice betraying his fear. "The footsteps," he said in frustration. "Why can't any of you hear them?"

"Calm down a minute, honey," Kristen tried to soothe, taking his arm and trying to get him to sit down. "What did you see?"

"I didn't see anything," Lucas stated firmly, wanting to stand up and go out of the room to hide his embarrassment. He knew his friends would be looking at him thinking he had lost it again.

"What was it that you heard?" Bridger rephrased, sitting beside the anxious teenager.

"Boots. I can't describe how I know they are different to ours, but they are," he said, the words tumbling out rather than being put into any sort of order as he spoke.

"Tim, will you go and get us all some tea and coffee, please," Kristen requested.

Upon returning, Kristen asked for a weak cup of coffee, not too hot, which she placed into Lucas's hands, urging him to sip at the liquid. She could see the inner struggle. He didn't want to show his fear or appear weak in front of his friends, but his mixed up emotions had him close to tears of frustration.

The coffee did appear to help, and his nerves calmed significantly. He sat quietly, those around him concerned but trying to think of a rational explanation.

"Let's sit down and talk about this," Bridger suggested.

Piccolo was the first one to speak, "I don't get it though. If Luke here was seeing something, then why couldn't I pick up on it?" Those crew members currently in the room were all well aware of Tony's physic abilities.

"Seems strange that no one else would see whatever it was," Miguel said.

"Great now I know that everyone thinks I am nuts," Lucas said, slightly annoyed, but unable to think of a way to get them to understand what he had witnessed.

"Nobody thinks that, Lucas," Tim tried to reassure the teenager, but in his own mind, he couldn't be sure that there had been anything to see or hear.

"Your not the first one aboard this boat to think they have seen an apparition, you know," Kristen pointed out candidly.

Lucas, Ortiz and O'Neill nodded there head at what the doctor had said, referring to another incident that they remembered. Tony however, was left a little out of the loop and wasn't aware of the previous encounter.

"You don't think it could be something to do with Lily and Robert do you? I mean coming back or something. Or that Captain fellow that wasn't too keen on me entering his cabin?" Lucas questioned.

Tony looked confused, "Who is Lily and Robert? And what did this Captain fellow try to do?"

"Tried to stop me from going into his cabin with a wall of flames," Lucas said casually.

"A wall of flames?" Tony repeated, thinking it sounded a little dangerous.

"Well it wasn't fire to begin with remember," Bridger now joined in with some of the detail. "The handle on the door burned when Chief Crocker touched it too, but when I tried, it was ice cold. Frozen."

"Fire? Ice?" Tony quipped. "Sounds as though you guys might have been dreaming huh?"

"No it was no dream," Lucas stated. "The ghost moved his head on the picture when the Captain, Kristen and I were watching it on film. Earlier that day he had thrown the Captain across his room."

"That I remember. I had the bruises to prove it," Bridger admitted.

"Are you guys really serious?" Tony asked, finding it a little hard to believe what was being said.

"Oh yes, and that wasn't the strangest part," Tim replied.

"There is more?" Tony commented, a little sarcasm starting to creep into his voice.

"Yes, Kristen there was taken over by the spirit of Lily. She dressed up in a fancy dress and was dancing in the ballroom and everything," Ortiz explained.

"Dancing in a ballroom. Fancy that," Tony said, the scepticism hard to hide.

'Hey, we all experienced it. Even Commander Ford thought he saw a light on in one of the rooms and the ship had been sunk on the bottom of the ocean for almost a hundred years."

"Sounds like you were all too long at sea to me," Tony remarked. Although he had been through such scientific achievements as artificial gills. Beliving in spirits and the supernatural wasn't something that he had thought often about.

Until Doctor Smith had found out about his physic abilities and tried to tap into them, He had just thought himself as a normal person who believed in only things he could see firsthand.

"Why am I the only one seeing this one?" Lucas asked straight forwardly. All this discussion about how many others had experienced what happened on the George made him ponder why no one else could see this ghost.

"I don't know, honey?" Kristen answered, not being able to offer much assistance. "What was the ghost trying to do when you saw it?"

"I only saw it once, in Med Bay, and we all know what happened there," Lucas said, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I tell you what, Lucas. Lets go Ghost Busting together. I mean, I don't know what you saw, and I don't believe in ghosts, but lets stay up tomorrow night and see if it appears again. That way, we know you are not crazy," Tony offered.

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn't such a good idea?" Miguel asked Tim quietly.

Bridger and Kristen displayed a little scepticism themselves, but Lucas seemed to relax a little at Piccolo's plan. If they didn't see anything, then there was nothing to worry about, except a teenager's wounded pride.

The next evening, one very tired looking Lucas stood in the main corridor of the SeaQuest, torch in hand. Even though they had agreed on what to do, the previous night had been a long one. Mostly of lying awake and wondering if he would hear the footsteps again.

Throughout the day, he had caught small snatches of sleep, but not enough and he knew that the Captain and doctor were getting worried about it. He had refused the offer of any artificial or natural sleeping draught, but did think that it might be needed after tonight if they didn't solve the riddle.

Lucas had gone over several memories of Bridger's ghostly encounter with the Captain of the George, trying to see if there were any similarities.

The arrangements had been for the Captain and doctor to stand in one of the sideways Corridors so that if something appeared to Lucas, then they would be able to get a look from a different angle and verify the ghost's appearance or presence.

To round out the audience, Tim O'Neill and Miguel had also offered to keep watch. Commander Ford had raised an eyebrow at Bridger when it was mentioned what they intended to do, but was too curious not to be there as well.

"Tell me again, what we are doing?" came the question from Tony standing directly behind Lucas and also wielding a torch.

"You promised not to walk on my shoes again, remember!" Lucas hissed as he felt his friend tread on the back of his heel for the third time.

"Well you have to give me some sort of warning or something that you are going to stop," Tony retorted.

"You can't get seats this good," Miguel whispered to the group standing in the side corridor, Smirking at the exchanges they could hear between Lucas and Tony. Nothing had happened yet, but the entertainment value alone was worth waiting up this late for.

Bridger and the others watched in pure mirth as Lucas and Tony snuck along the corridor, torch light guiding them. The two of them slightly hunched over as they walked.

"What was that!" Tony demanded to know, hearing a sound. The corridor had been deliberately left dark except for the torch light and the two were jumping at almost every shadow or small noise.

"Me, you idiot. Watch where you are going," Lucas scolded his partner in crime again.

Before Lucas had a chance to continue his display of annoyance, the sound of the footsteps made him stop and stand almost rigid as fear began to fill his senses again.

Tony had dropped his torch and the resounding clunk on the metal grated floor only caused more anxiety in the teenager.

"What do you hear?" Bridger asked, noting the teenager sudden stop in the one place and looking as though he was trying to hear something. He could see the apprehension and nervousness on the tired young face. Adrenalin was driving his sense of alertness.

Tony whipped around his torch shining it in the direction that he thought the teenager was looking, "But I don't see anything."

Lucas froze as the footsteps came closer. He had not shone his torch light, but looking in front of him, though that he could make out the form of the dark-skinned man once more. His hands began to tremble, and he tried to take a step backwards.

Tony was a few steps behind the teenager, but perplexed that he could not see anything that might be frightening his friend.

The ghost remained still. Looking back at him. His face not threatening, but appearing as though trying to tell him something.

Without warning to Lucas, the ghost appeared to begin running. Not away from him, but straight at him. All at once, Lucas lost whatever nerve he had and his legs turned to jelly.

For a few moments his feet refused to obey his command to run. The ghost was still coming towards him. It looked as though it was going to run right through him.

Before anyone else had time to react, Lucas gasped in terror, and quickly turned, dropping his own torch and forcibly knocking Tony over in his attempt at escape.

To be Continued………………………………….

JULES


	2. Chapter 2

**GHOST**

**By Jules**

From the Author: A little idea that came to me while I was trying to put my other stories back together after my computer crash. Hopefully some of it will show a lighter side of some of the crew. The banter between Lucas and Tony is meant to be funny and will hopefully make you laugh a little, but it does get more serious in later parts of the story.

_and now….. the story rewinds a little…………….._

"Tell me again, what we are doing?" came the question from Tony standing directly behind Lucas and also wielding a torch.

"You promised not to walk on my shoes remember," Lucas hissed as he felt his friend tread on the back of his heel for the third time.

"Well you have to give me some sort of warning or something that you are going to stop," Tony retorted.

"You can't get seats this good," Miguel whispered to the group standing in the side corridor, smirking at the exchanges they could hear between Lucas and Tony. Nothing had happened yet, but the entertainment value alone was worth waiting up this late for.

Bridger and the others watched in pure mirth as Lucas and Tony snuck along the corridor, torch light guiding them. The two of them slightly hunched over as they walked.

"What was that!" Tony demanded to know, hearing a sound. The corridor had been deliberately left dark except for the torch light and the two were jumping at almost every shadow or small noise.

"Me, you idiot. Watch where you are going," Lucas scolded his partner in crime again.

Before Lucas had a chance to continue his display of annoyance, the sound of the footsteps made him stop and stand almost rigid as fear began to fill his senses again.

Tony had dropped his torch and the resounding clunk on the metal grated floor only caused more anxiety in the teenager.

"What do you hear?" Bridger asked, noting the teenager sudden stop in the one place and Looking as though he was trying to hear something. He could see the apprehension and nervousness on the tired young face. Adrenalin was driving his sense of alertness.

Tony whipped around his torch shining it in the direction that he thought the teenager was looking, "But I don't see anything."

Lucas froze as the footsteps came closer. He had not shone his torch light, but looking in front of him, though that he could make out the form of the dark-skinned man once more. His hands began to tremble, and he tried to take a step backwards.

Tony was a few steps behind the teenager, but perplexed that he could not see anything that might be frightening his friend.

The ghost remained still. Looking back at him. His face not threatening, but appearing as though trying to tell him something.

Without warning to Lucas, the ghost appeared to begin running. Not away from him, but straight at him. All at once, Lucas lost whatever nerve he had and his legs turned to jelly.

For a few moments his feet refused to obey his command to run. The ghost was still coming towards him. It looked as though it was going to run right through him.

Before anyone else had time to react, Lucas gasped in terror, and quickly turned, dropping his own torch and forcibly knocking Tony over in his attempt at escape.

**_And now the story contines_**

"Maybe it was just a dream?" Bridger tried to say soothingly as he tried to douse Lucas's fears, but the Captain knew that the explanation didn't sound right. The teenager had stopped trembling, but still looked very pale and was looking very around very nervously.

Lucas was currently sitting on a chair in Med Bay watching as Bridger fidgeted constantly beside him, both of them waiting for Doctor Westphalen's opinion.

The crew, including Tony, had tried to follow the frightened teenager. They had traveled along three darkened corridors, only to find the teenager passed out whilst they turned into the fourth hallway.

It had taken quite a few minutes to arouse the young man, and at first he seemed disorientated and confused about where he was. Whilst he could recall running, and the fear that he sensed, there were large pieces missing.

There seemed to be no injuries sustained, and it wasn't totally clear if Lucas had mistakenly run into something or had collapsed due to his increased heart rate and blood pressure. Being a normal heathly young man, the second choice was doubted, but there was no bruising or marks on his head or body that would back up the first theory of colliding with something on the boat.

"Yeah, maybe it was" Lucas said finally. He didn't have any other credible answer at the moment. He felt embarrassed at having showed such weakness in front of the crew and his friends. Normally he prided himself on his independence and fought long and hard against showing his true feelings or letting anyone get too close. Bridger and Doctor Westphalen were the exception to that rule.

"I think I'll go to bed now," Lucas stated, making sure his feet were firmly placed on the ground and he walked back into his room with all of the confidence he could muster.

"Do you think that is such a good idea?" Bridger asked, and then realized almost as the words left his mouth that he had inadvertently embarrassed the teenager in front of the crew once more.

"Thanks for the offer, but…………" leaving the sentence unfinished.

Everyone else just watched Lucas head back into his room. They shook their heads whilst having a similar question in each of their minds. What or who had scared the teenager so much?

The next morning saw three people sitting at the breakfast table, Bridger, Kristen and Tony, idly chatting about anything but the strange events of last night. The air around them anything but normal.

Bridger had instructed the other crew members to let Lucas have a little lie in this morning. They all saw how tired he had appeared last night and knew that he had been deliberately trying to avoid the subject of sleep the last 2 nights.

All suddenly looked around in surprise at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Lucas made his way into the mess hall. His hair was still all mussed up. His eyes looked bleary and he still looked very tired.

The truth of the matter was that Lucas still hadn't gone back to sleep last night. He had lain awake listening to every creak and groan. Every for any other noise that could be heard in the dead of night.

The young man was trying to carry on as normal. He wanted to put the images and sounds from last night behind him. He didn't greet his friends with a cheery 'Good Morning', but rather sat down without a word.

The sullen teenager had grabbed a tray and placed some items on it, but Kristen couldn't be even sure he took notice of what he had selected.

Half an hour later, barely any of the food had been touched before Lucas pushed the tray aside and left the mess. He hadn't spoken a word to anyone, and although he could sense all eyes upon him, barely lifted his head to acknowledge anyone.

"This can't go on much longer," Kristen voiced, knowing that these were the same sentiments shared by Bridger and Piccolo.

"Last night he was ashamed of his fear, but now he has clammed up and won't even admit anything is going on," Bridger commented.

"You swear you didn't see a thing last night in the corridor?" Kristen asked Tony.

The question had been asked of the seaman at least twenty times the night before.

This morning Tony's only response was to give his best "_do we have to go through this again" _look.

"Just give him some space today," Tony suggested, not being one to want to hover over the kid every five minutes, but also not wanting to admit that he too was unable to explain any of the strange happenings of the last few days.

Reluctantly it was agreed to temporarily drop the subject, to avoid having everybody in the crew on edge as well as Lucas. For now they would have to just watch and be patient with him and hope that he would talk sooner rather than later.

Bridger relieved Ortiz on the Bridger and tried to keep his own mind occupied with matters on the SeaQuest. The man tried hard and had admonished himself on a number of occasions, muttering under his breath and forcing himself to remain on the Bridger rather than go looking for Lucas.

Kristen wasn't anywhere need as good at hiding her frustration and agitation.

By the time Bridger's shift ended at approximately 1pm, he found her pacing back and forth going over the events of last night in her head, as a scientist trying to come up with a plausible explanation.

Kristen jumped a little when she noticed that Nathan had been watching her antics with amusement for over 5 minutes. "I just can't help it," was her only defence.

"Me neither," Bridger admitted, "Come on, lets go check on him together. Then we can both feel like idiots together."

Kristen needed no second invitation and both of them found it difficult to keep themselves from running to Lucas's cabin rather than walking like two rational adults would normally have done.

Upon reaching the small cabin, Bridger was about to knock, when he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. This gave him the perfect excuse just to give it a little nudge, so it would open a little.

The strangest thing that struck him was the lack of noise in the room. On any other given day, the cabin would be filled with the loud music that Lucas chose to call "spectacular".

Kristen could see Lucas sitting at his work station, and the computers were switched on. There appeared to be a game of some sort on the screen, but it was paused, and the message said "Waiting for password."

The captain knew this was odd, as Lucas usually bypassed any security system or need of a password for any program he used.

Bridger crept up silently beside the chair and gazed down at the occupant. His heart melted immediately and he felt all of the love he could find gather in his heart. Sitting slumped in the chair, eyes closed, breathing even and regular was Lucas, sound asleep.

The day and previous night had finally caught up with him and now held out the waiting arms of rest. Lucas had not protested in the slightest and slipped into a deep slumber without even knowing it.

Kristen spied her young charge asleep and the two adults were relieved that the teenager's body seemed to have taken over to some degree.

Bridger hated the idea of trying to wake the teenager while he was resting so peacefully, but decided that Lucas would be a lot better off in the comfort of a bed. Sleeping in the chair would prove awkward for any length of time.

He tried to wake Lucas gently at first. He shook his shoulder and whispered his name into his ear. No response. He tried a little harder and a little louder. Still no response.

"Don't think he wants to wake up now he is finally asleep," Kristen commented.

At 120 pounds Lucas caused Bridger barely a grunt as he was hoisted in his arms and carried across the room and settled on the bottom bunk. Although the teenager would have protested if he was alert enough, the change in sleeping arrangements was considered the best for one night.

Bridger laid the young man's head down on the soft white pillow and bid him good night. Kristen also bid the boy good night and caressed his soft hair through her fingers before exiting the room.

Tony would take the top bunk tonight and had promised to keep quiet and watch out for his friend overnight. Kristen had suggested that the sticking to a normal routine would help Lucas more than trying to tiptoe around him and feeding his insecurity.

Bridger felt a little more relaxed and that all was fine with his son tonight. It was 10.08 pm and it looked as though the events of last night were long forgotten. This was to be short lived.

Bridger retired soon afterwards. They thought they could all use a restful night of unbroken sleep. Ford was on the Bridge taking care of the formalities on the boat, and Ortiz was due to take over his shift around 3am.

At the stroke of midnight the peace and tranquility of the night was shattered once again by the piercing and terrified screams of Lucas.

Even through the layers of bedding, his frightened screams could still be heard.

Tony had jumped out of bed, whilst the Captain and the doctor raced towards Lucas's cabin. They all looked around the room and then noted the trembling lump underneath the sheets.

Lucas had momentarily stopped screaming when the walls seemed to stop shaking and the bed no longer rocked about. He peaked his head out from underneath his safe haven just in time to hear a whistle sound. It sounded very close and loud.

The whistle sounded again.

Lucas gave another strangled cry of fright and dived back under the covers to shield himself. Bridger, Kristen and Tony had not heard the whistle, nor felt any rocking movements. They couldn't understand Lucas behaviour at all.

Nathan sat down on the bed and tried to pry Lucas out from his hiding place.

It was very difficult. When he eventually did appear, Lucas curled up in a shaking ball in the Captain's embrace. He was looking for something to protect him and knew that Bridger had always been there in times of need.

The teenager felt like a two year old, but there were too many things happening about him that he couldn't explain or describe. No one else could see these things. He was going crazy.

Kristen and Tony began to talk quietly amongst themselves. "Maybe he's getting sick" Piccolo suggested. "He might he getting a touch of fever and having delusions as a result of a high temperature. His theory was shot to pieces when Bridger felt the young man's forehead.

He found exactly the opposite. Where they suspected there might have been a temperature, the skin felt cold and clammy. He was sweating but so were they all, it was a terribly hot night. Bridger had an idea that most of Lucas's perspiration was due to another cause other than humidity.

Lucas had stopped trembling and the tiredness from earlier returned. He soon fell back asleep in the Captain's lap. Bridger managed to move without waking him. He didn't know what to do. Maybe they should take Lucas to see a doctor on the mainland. Not just any doctor, but maybe a psychiatrist.

Breakfast the next day was totally different. Every one sat in silent while they ate a sparse meal. Lucas just moved things around on his plate. He looked even worse than yesterday. His eyes now held an almost haunted look and they were very bloodshot from lack of restful sleep.

Ford had already begun to steer the SeaQuest back to base, and communications had taken place with Admiral Noyce for some extra leave for the crew and in particular Lucas. An appointment had been made with a reputable psychiatrist that was used to talking to teenagers, and sharing their problems.

Arrangements had also been made to have some down time afterwards, with no schedules or agendas of what needed to be done. Lucas could decide whether he wanted to spend some time back on Bridger's island, or closer to the mainland.

Most of the crew members had departed the mess hall, preparing to dock at Pearl Harbour and doing some packing beforehand.

Bridger returned to the dining room to find Lucas asleep at the table. He had pushed his plate aside and now softly snored with his head resting on the table..

He hair fell in his eyes yet again. Nathan wasn't sure how to tackle the current problem. He didn't even know what the problem was.

Bridger had managed to wake the teenager enough to move him to his cabin, and let Lucas slept until almost lunch time. He had helped Kristen pack what they intended to take with them on shore leave, not knowing how long that may be at this stage.

About an hour before they were due to dock, Lucas woke, but looked around for a moment, wondering why he was asleep in Bridger's cabin. "How long have I been here?" he asked honestly and stifled back a huge yawn.

"You, young man, fell asleep at the breakfast table" Bridger said in mock sternness.

"You mean I have been asleep for nearly five hours?" Lucas asked skeptically. He felt like he had been asleep about an hour at the most.

Lucas gave another huge yawn and forced himself to get off the bed and go about getting dressed for the day.

Once docking was complete, the ride onto the base was happy enough. Bridger talked to Lucas about the string of things he had intended to do back at the island during their time off. He was trying to get the teenager to talk and get his mind off whatever was bothering him.

Once being cleared through security the usual process on the base, the next stop was a hotel that would be their home for the next few days until a decision was made about where they wanted to go next. Most of the crew used this time to re-energize and sleep before heading their separate ways to their own families.

Bridger and Kristen knew there was one small detour that needed to be taken before arriving at the hotel. They just hadn't told the teenager yet, and were hoping not to until the very last minute.

Whether because of tiredness or not, Lucas didn't ask where they were going. He was happy just to follow for a while, not taking any interest in the traffic in the street or what other people were doing moment.

Upon getting closer to doctor's office, he wanted to back peddle, seeing the man's name on the door, but more alarmingly, his occupation. Bridger didn't want to force the boy into something like this. He hoped it wouldn't have any negative effect on some of the teenager's troubled childhood. But they were hoping for help.

"What are we going here for," Lucas asked nervously. He tried to move away, but Kristen held firmly onto his upper arm and steered him into Steven Martin's waiting room.

"I just want Steve to have a chat with you , Lucas," Kristen explained. "You haven't been sleeping well the last two nights and have woken up scared to death. I thought it might help if you talked it over with someone outside the crew."

Lucas mumbled a barely audible hello before telling the doctor he was fine and there was nothing wrong with him no matter what anybody else thought.

"Well, let's just take a look at you shall we, and I will make the diagnosis" Steven said with a grin. He knew that this was the last place Lucas wanted to be. But he also knew that Kristen rarely sought his advice for trivial matters.

"What seems to be the trouble, Kristen" Steven asked his friend as he began to do the usual examination on his still protesting patient. He thought he had better get the whole story from Kristen as Lucas was likely to tell him nothing or leave giant chunks of relevant information out in his explanation.

"Lucas hasn't been sleeping well the last few nights, Steven," Kristen started.

Martin continued to listen to Kristen's account of events aboard the SeaQuest, mentally noting down certain points. The boy looked a little tired. But if he hadn't been sleeping well for the past two nights, that was to be expected.

"Okay Lucas," Steven said. "I am just going to have a quick word with Kristen and the Captain, then you can go."

Bridger was certainly perplexed by the doctor's unorthodox methods. Lucas hadn't spoken a word, and although Kristen had given as much detail as possible, there was no confirmation or denial sort of any of the facts from Lucas himself.

Lucas didn't reply, he just put the biggest scowl on his face he could make. He tried to tell them nothing was wrong with him. Why wouldn't his family listen to him sometimes. He should know, it was his body. He couldn't explain the events of the last few nights, but put it down to something else than a physical thing. Maybe he just dreamed up the whole thing two nights in a row.

Bridger and Kristen walked a little away from the teenager to talk to the doctor in private. "Well, what's wrong with him?"

"In cases like this, where the patient is stubborn, it is best not to rush the young man, but to get his trust. Slowly if need be. To let him do the talking so to speak," Martin said.

"But do you think that will work, Steven?" Kristen asked, doubts of her own about such tactics beginning to creep into her voice. "We have tried to let him talk to us for a few days now, and although he admitted to feeling frightened on one occasion, there isn't much to go on. We found him passed out on one occasion after appearing to be running from something, and he fainted on an earlier occasion. There isn't a pattern that helps us pinpoint a cause to all of this."

Bridger just sighed in defeat. He didn't blame the doctor, but thought he might have been able to come up with a medical reason for Lucas's behaviour.

"Tell you what, just see how he goes tonight," Steven explained. 'If he still continues on the same tonight, I will come out tomorrow and talk with him again. I might be able to prescribe some strong sleeping powders for a couple of nights or so to let his body get back to normal. I don't like the idea of using them on somebody so young, but I will if it becomes called for."

"That won't be necessary, doctor. I am a qualified physician and can prescribe any medication that Lucas may need," Kristen answered.

They all walked back in to the room where, Lucas still had the scowl on his face. "Finished your little discussion about me now have you" he said angrily.

"You mind your manners, young man" Bridger said firmly back. "Just because you feel a little tired and cranky, doesn't give you an excuse to be rude."

Lucas got up and ignored the remark. He pouted his lips and continued this stance all the way back to the car. He climbed back into the back seat and intended to keep the conversation to a minimum on the way to the hotel.

About half way home, the tiredness Lucas felt from lack of sleep again returned and Bridger felt the teenager's head rest upon the back of his shoulder as Kristen drove them.

He was genuinely worried about Lucas. He knew something was wrong, and it pained him to not be able to help the boy when he needed it. He hoped that tonight would be different.

The boy was only seventeen years and although he often showed a wild streak, it was nearly as often that he demonstrated a more vulnerable side to his cheeky personality.

Dinner went just as well as the night before. Lucas ate a little more tonight and the Captain was pleased with the informal nature of the conversations and all tried to relax just a little for the evening.

It was almost 11.55pm went Bridger decided that nothing would happen tonight. Lucas had fallen asleep on a couch in the suite. Tony was sipping at some hot coffee and trying to stop himself from nodding off.

Bridger and Kristen had told Tony that he could stay in their room, for a couple of reasons. One because the seaman rarely had any money of his own to afford separate accommodation, and secondly, because Piccolo being there might help Lucas have some air of normalcy.

Bridger wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery of the last couple of nights, for Lucas's sake as well as his own sanity.

Ben had shaken Lucas awake enough to get him to stand on his own two feet. The boy was still half asleep and walked clumsily towards the doorway and a soft bed that awaited him. Lucas had made it half way across the living room floor when he turned to bid his goodnights to his family.

"Night' all" he mumbled through half closed eyes. The words had just fallen off his lips when he heard the sound of the whistle. It was loud and very close. If Lucas had been asleep before, he was now wide awake at that eerie noise. It almost sounded to be outside hotel room doorway.

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the large front door with fear and anticipation written all over his face. He clutched at the back rest of the chair in front of him to steady himself. He could not believe what was about to take place.

The whistle sounded again and this time he could see some sort of shadow. He tried to take a step back, but absolute fear held him frozen to the floor. His feet just wouldn't obey his minds demands. His heart was pounding in his chest like it was about to explode. He held his breath as he saw the dark shadow loom closer.

Without warning, the shadow not only got closer to the window, but came right through. Lucas blinked his eyes to clear his vision, but the same image was there.

Coming through the hotel front door was a train. It looked strange as it was illuminated by a green hue. It was this same light that enabled Lucas to look right through the train and carriages. The train had a translucent quality about it. It seemed to glow in the darkness of the room. The dark black smoke billeted out of the stack in front and trailed behind the engine. Lucas could smell the thick black ash from the burning of coal. It was almost choking.

Bridger, Kristen and Tony couldn't see the ghostly image of the train. What they could see was the trembling body of Lucas who seemed to stand transfixed to the one spot. At some point the teenager thought he could hear voices talking to him. He shook his head to clear his mind and the voices faded away.

What seemed like five hours, was in fact about 3 minutes. The train engine and it's three carriages had rocketed their way through the hotel room. Lucas's gaze followed after the train and he turned around and was just in time to see the back end of the carriage disappear through the eastern wall of the hotel room and out into the darkness of the night.

His mind was trying to take in what had just happened. Had he really seen a whole train just come through his house. He was looking at his family and friend for answers to an endless number of questions.

Lucas looked at this family with his mouth agape and his arm extended with a pointing finger towards the ghostly image he had seen He tried to use his voice but nothing would come. His mouth moved but no sound escaped his vocal cords.

Although he showed some signs of weariness earlier, his skin colour had been good and he appeared to be healthy enough. Now looking at the pasty white skin that was sweating and clammy in the touch, Kristen and the othersy were now truly concerned about Lucas's state of mind and health.

Lucas's swallowed hard and looked at his father with pleading eyes What just happened here? Why I am so scared? Why did I see that train? He was still trying to get a sound from his voice, he tried with all of his might to say something. With all of his concentration and all of his effort he managed to say but one word to his family.

"TR... TR... TRAIN".

His mind decided that enough was too much and he lost what ever pallor he had left. Lucas felt his legs underneath betray him and loose all of their strength. They now felt like jelly and no longer had the strength to hold him up. The teenager felt himself start to topple forward but couldn't prevent the descent. Bridger and Tony could see what was going to happen and only just managed to grab a hold of the boy before he fell unconscious on the floor.

Twenty minutes later, Steven Martin appeared at the hotel doorway, after being summoned by Kristen once more.

Bridger just looked at his son unconscious on the bed. He didn't know what to do.

He had seen the teenager's behaviour turn very strange over the past three days. He had seen Lucas more scared than ever. He knew something was out of place but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Steven Martin sat down on the bed and tried to gain Lucas's attention. He lifted the boy's eyelids to see the response to bright light, there was some. He felt the boy's steady heart beat by checking his pulse using his wrist. The teenager still looked very pale.

Kristen had done these precautionary checks before the psychiatrist arrived, but knew that Martin did them again out of habit.

The doctor couldn't find anything else wrong with Lucas. "I don't know what to tell you. It's just like yesterday, no fever, no sickness, no injuries that I can see. There seems to be no apparent pattern to these strange occurrences that he is experiencing."

"The only word he said downstairs was TRAIN," Tony said. "Then he fainted."

"Why would he say the word TRAIN at twelve o'clock at night?"

"The only thing I can suggest is that maybe all of these incidents have been brought on by stress. Stress that is causing physical symptoms within him. He still looks very tired and you said he has been waking up at odd hours the last three nights. Has there been anything that has been bothering him lately?"

"I don't remember him saying anything in particular," Bridger said honestly. He was trying to think back over the last week. Was there something bothering Lucas enough to be waking him up at night and making him sick? He looked at Tony for answers.

"Has Lucas told you about anything he is worried about?"

Piccolo tried hard to think. Lucas had seemed his normal self. He had chatted happily enough when he and Ortiz had been playing cards a few nights ago.

"I have a few friends who deal specifically with patients who seem to have psychological problems or are have other problems that are not physical in nature," Martin suggested.

"You mean that all this behaviour might be in Lucas's mind," Bridger asked incredulously. Over the years of the teenager's life there had been various injuries. Bridger had never considered that there would be a time that Lucas's mental capacity would be doubted.

"I thought it would be good to talk to a few colleagues that are familiar with cases like Lucas's."

Bridger closed his eyes and shook his eyes. He didn't like the phrase "Cases like Lucas's". This was his son and sometimes he felt protective towards him.

Steven Martin could see the raging emotions written all over the Captain's face about the teenager.

Before Martin could utter any words of reassurance to those in the room, Lucas gave a few small groans to signal he was waking up.

"Uh..." came the response from a very groggy teenager. At once Kristen was there talking softly to the boy.

Lucas opened his eyes and looked about the room. He eyes surveyed the room and finally came to rest on faces he had trusted for a long time, Kristen, and then Bridger.

"We are here, Lucas," "So is Tony". She let Lucas get his bearings a little more first before asking him too many questions.

At first it seemed that Lucas remembered very little of his ordeal downstairs.

He was looking questioningly at Steven Martin being in the room.

"Why are you here Doc?" he asked. Then with frightening speed, the images from downstairs came racing back into his mind. He put his hand up to his mouth to hide the scream that was caught in his throat. He immediately sat upright in bed, looking around the room with darting eyes. He was looking for any evidence of what he had seen.

Bridger had been holding his hand as he woke and now struggled to get Lucas to lie down.

The movement of sitting up too fast only made the young man's head spin. He put his hands to his temples and tried to stop the merry-go-round his brain was on. The dizziness was powerful and he had to calm down just a little in order to remain conscious.

"Lucas?" Doc began slowly and quietly "What do you remember about tonight?"

_What do I remember_ Lucas asked himself sarcastically. _How do I tell them that I saw a locomotive engine and three carriages come through the dining room wall downstairs and pass through the other side?_ "You will think I am nuts, Doc," he finally answered.

"Lucas," Bridger said softly "We won't be upset with you, we're trying to help you. Do you remember what you saw?" A slow nod was the only response. Can you tell us what you saw? A shake of the head signaled a negative reply. Do you want to talk about it and share it with your family? Another negative reply. The questioning was getting nowhere fast.

Steven Martin could see that his patient was going to be very difficult indeed, even more so that usual. They were probably not going to get any answers by asking him directly.

Kristen took an empty glass, and filled it with water. In the water, she diluted a white powder and handed it to the teenager. He was about to refused, when he sighed in defeat and took the glass. She told Lucas that he needed some extra sleep tonight.

Lucas's eyelids began to flutter from the sleeping powder and he soon drifted off without any further explanation of what had happened. Kristen continued to hold his hand and stroke his face as the young man asleep. She hoped that by just touching him, Lucas felt safe from harm.

Now that Lucas was deeply asleep, there was no need to talk softly. He wouldn't be disturbed easily tonight and would probably sleep well into the next morning.

"Just let him get the rest he needs," Steven Martin suggested. "I will contact these colleagues, but it may be a few days before I get a response. Until then, give him a few days off his normal routine. Let him do what he wants to do. Let him go into town and relax a little. If he wants to sleep, then let him sleep all day. That is the best advice I can offer at this point in time. Maybe a change from day to day activities is just what he needs right now."

After the psychiatrist had left, Tony couldn't help but speak candidly about what they had seen that night.

"I don't know about you too, but that kid has some serious issues," Tony stated.

"I mean we are all here to help him, but he said he thinks he saw a train? A train.

In this hotel room, coming through the door!"

"We can't explain it at the moment, Tony. Lucas obviously believes he saw something, even though it isn't likely that it was a train. Like Martin said, maybe its just stress, and he is dreaming seeing these things," Bridger replied.

"But why? Two days ago it was a black guy with army boots, now a train? None of it makes any sense," Piccolo added.

"I know," was the only words that Bridger had to say. He couldn't made sense of it all either, and certainly couldn't come up with a reason for anyone else. They would all just have to be patient and do what they could for Lucas.

The next morning Bridger and Tony did exactly what the doctor ordered. Kristen planned a trip into town to try and get Lucas to relax a little. Maybe a vacation was just what the teenager needed.

Kristen had discussed the ideas she had with Tony and Bridger at the breakfast table. They were in no hurry to got to town. Bridger had let Lucas sleep in as long as he liked this morning. He had checked on the boy a number of times during the night as had Kristen and Tony. Lucas had been peacefully sleeping on each occasion.

Bridger saw this as another huge piece to the jigsaw that was scattered about. The pieces were beginning to accumulate, but for the moment, they were so jumbled that it was hard to see any sort of picture forming. Bridger knew they had all heard Lucas utter the word train the night before.

Later that morning, once again the problems started...

The first thing that Lucas felt was the temperature change in the room. He didn't understand how he came to be on his bed dressed in his nightshirt. His addled mind did not have the answers to the questions he tried to form in his mind. He could remember going to bed, and after that everything was a blank.

It was the coolness that woke him. Earlier in the day the weather was predicted to be hot and sultry, but now there was a unique temperature change filling the room.

He lay still with his eyes closed and turned on his side on the bed. He was about to go back to the land of nod when a strange feeling of something else being in the room came over him. His fears started gathering in great numbers and his mind was telling him that it wasn't his father or brothers in the room this night.

Against his better judgment he opened his eyes a crack and looked about. His gaze never altered from its position of straight in front of him. He could not believe what his eyes were telling him he was seeing at this moment. His voice was once again deserting him. He wanted to scream, he wanted to scream until he could scream no more. Of all of the events that had happened over the last three or four days, this one left him numb all over.

He closed his eyes again, hoping the image would go away. He reopened them and for the second time he was telling himself to scream.

Laying beside him, on the same bed, not more than a few centimetres away was a dead corpse of a man. The body seemed to be clad in some sort of rags that fell over the skeletal frame like long tendrils. His eyes made him start from the feet and work their way up, forcing him to make a mental note an entire description of what he could see.

The feet were housed in a pair of beaten up old boots. There was a hole on the right one where the big toe should have been. There was no big toe protruding out. The legs were nothing more than dark skin and bits of flesh clinging to them. The arms were in a similar condition with very little remnants of muscle or sinew attached.

Most of the man's chest seemed to be missing. There few a few shards of bone that indicated a rib cage, but there was no evidence of any internal organs. The lungs were dried up and withered and half their normal capacity.

Lucas tried to stop himself looking and staring but he could not.

Lastingly his gaze rested upon the head and face of the corpse. The hair was straggly and hanging in knots. He couldn't be sure but he thought he saw something moving around in that mess of hair.

He looked at the face with bemused horror on his face. The eyes were devoid of eyelids or lashes and seemed to bulge out of their sockets as they stared directly at Lucas.

There was only a small bony point that indicated a nose was once in place. The mouth was drawn back in a toothy grin. The teeth themselves were yellow and stained. The odour that came from the teeth made the teenager gag.

He fought back the feeling of nauseous with great effort. The corpse continued to grin and stare at him. A worm now broke through the paper thin waxen skin on the man's hollow cheek and peered out from its look out point on the man's face.

"Hello" the corpse said in a eerie sounding voice. That was the last straw. Lucas had found his voice all of a sudden and now scrambled off the bed and backed himself into the corner of the room whilst screaming for everything he was worth.

Unfortunately he had backed himself in the farthest corner of the room and behind the bed, so he would have to make it past the dead person to make it safely to the other side of room and to his father and brothers in the other rooms.

Bridger almost fell off the sofa at the scream that radiated through the hotel room. It was unlike any scream he had ever heard. It was full of terror and on the verge of hysteria. He almost pulled the door of his room from its hinges and he thought of his son in danger. Danger, too he told himself, that had to be it, Lucas wouldn't scream like that unless his very life was threatened.

Nathan tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge. The door was locked. They doubted that Lucas had locked himself in. Whatever or whoever was attacking Lucas wanted outside help to remain on the other side.

Lucas continued to scream. The corpse had remained on the bed and not moved a muscle. The young man was now sitting on the floor with his arms held up trying to fend off his attacker.

Bridger was making no more progress with the door. "Stand aside, Captain" Tony demanded.

Piccolo took a running start and barreled into the wooden door trying to break the lock. The first attempt failed. As he backed up to take a second go, they heard Lucas yell at someone inside.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!! CAPTAIN, HELP ME PLEASE" 'DON'T LET HIM HURT ME!!!" CAPTAIN " Lucas resumed his screams at the sight before him. He had never seen anything so hideous in all of his life.

He had read a few horror stories in his time, even seen some terrible injuries inflicted upon a man's body to disfigure him. But nothing he had ever seen or had read could prepare him for this. This was like the devil coming and trying to take his very soul away.

Bridger and Tony on the other side tried in vain to break down the door. Their hearts were almost bursting from the pleas the youngest crew member was yelling through the other side. They were sure now that at least it seemed that someone was involved rather than something. What was that person doing to Lucas to make him so afraid?

"Get that door open now" Kristen yelled at Bridger. Tony took an extra step back and was about to put all his strength behind this effort. Bridger had been banging on the door in between assaults, but now she stood back and let Tony take aim.

The corpse could hear the noise on the other side of the door. He looked at the young man cowering in the corner trying to disappear from view. He knew that he wouldn't be talking to the boy tonight like he wanted to. He would have to change his tactics a little more next time.

Each attempt he had made to make contact had only ended up in scaring the young man half to death. With that thought his image now vanished and Lucas's hotel room was empty again except for himself. He had yet to notice that the corpse had gone. He was still in the corner with his head between his knees and his arms over him. He was now trembling very badly and his breathing was very shallow and coming in large gulps.

To be continued ………………………………………..

Authors Notes – like a ghost, I am still hauntings these pages. The final chapter to Secret Device is almost ready – and if you think you know the ending ……. well maybe you do……… no on second thought you don't

I don't have as much writing time as I would like, but will update as often as I can and intend to finish all stories.

Thanks for reading.

JULES


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